I have oak/buttercup in my house as a sample..it resembles a golden-ish oak floor but distressed. The distressing looks fairly authentic which we like because we have two Golden retrievers bouncing around the house. So I am hoping their scuff marks won't show as much, it will just blend in the the distress look. The store owner is suggesting glue and nail because anything over a 4" wide plank- he feel might lend itself to cup or split. I also heard this from the LL installer when he came to the house for measuring.. Back to color choices, I'm waiting on a sample piece of the oak in Royal Brown, strictly my preferences...Don't get me wrong Anderson flrs were beautiful but almost double $$. One other thing, the Somerset walnut is really nice but not on promotion- think he quoted me around $11.50 I wasn't that crazy about it for the money. I hoping the Royal Brown in oak works because at the $8.79 price installed I think is a good price. At least one thing will be done for this kitchen project. As for Mohawk, I would never buy any products due to an issue my mother had with their carpeting. They played real hard ball with her and put a real bad taste in my mouth. And Mohawk did not stand behind their product JMO. I have Shaw/Stanton/Kane products - carpeting which we are very pleased with.

No experience with Somerset. We installed Homerwood natural solid hickory 6 years ago in a 4 inch plank. Our environment in summer is good with AC running most of the time. Winter is a different story, we heat mostly with wood & coal & do not run our whole house humidifier anymore, as it is a losing battle. I think humidity still stays above 35 percent, but not really sure. We have had zero problems with expanding & contracting. I don't know how much different a 1 inch wider plank would be, but our floor has performed well.

You know, to me "fake" is not that big of a deal in some things where cleaning or lifespan can be an issue. Yes, like you, I would love authentic everything including hardwood floors. But I have cats. I always have and I always will. They bring absolute joy to my life. I have lost all three in the last couple of years, Amara my most recent loss left us last week, but more will come. I also want beautiful things around me. My description of my home is "comfortable elegance." Neither word has any more emphasis than the other; both are essential to creating a home I love and love to share. But cleaning and damage is a big deal too. I have no intention of spending a lot of time that would require high maintenance. I look at my faux Christmas tree as gorgeous even without the scent. (I buy real wreaths to hang high enough so the cats cannot get to them just so I can get the scent.) I look at my LVP flooring as incredibly beautiful because I got a color I like and any accidents including hairballs are easy to wipe up and I never have to worry about it. (Ditto if the washer ever fails.) If you compare one to the other you may find yourself adding regret and judgmental attitudes to your perspective. But if you acknowledge their differences and choose one, based upon the advantages you prefer, then I think you might find you will have few if any regrets. You won't mourn what you can't have (both easy care and real hardwood) but instead you will embrace and celebrate what you did choose because it makes you happy. And that is all that matters.

Thank you for that response HU-313924646. I posted pretty much the same thing and then deleted it as some here are not worth the response as they have to add commentary that is not relivent to the questions being asked. There are a handful of members here that are notorious for trying to promote their own perceived importance when all they are doing is distracting from the OPs question. Someone asks if a particular color green would work and "they" respond that your ceiling is too tall and they don't like sectionals. It is "these" people that inhibit particiaption here as you know they are only going to post their negative opinions. The "mean girls (and guys)" live for that. I'm glad I could help in whatever minor way I could and hope you find the right flooring for your home.